The Philadelphia Inquirer yells fire in a non-burning building – September 25, 2024

Here we go again, it has come to our attention that publications specifically, The Philadelphia Inquirer / Philadelphia Daily News have been disseminating misleading and exaggerated information about the operations of the Sheriff’s Office. These reports appear to be designed to incite unnecessary fear and distrust within the community, all in support of a broader agenda aimed at undermining this office and its mission.

Since Sheriff Rochelle Bilal took office in January 2020, certain groups and publications have consistently sought to discredit the work we do, with the ultimate goal of closing this office. This pattern of fearmongering not only distorts the truth but also jeopardizes the safety and well-being of the citizens we are sworn to protect.

The Philadelphia Inquirer / Philadelphia Daily News reporter or in our case, opinion writer (William Bender and researcher Ryan Briggs) lacks the integrity and true journalism necessary to achieve a basis for an actual storyline that doesn’t involve the overall agenda which is to close this Sheriff’s Office.

Thus, we are once again writing another statement that distracts us from doing our duties.

The latest disgraced hit piece called, ‘Disaster waiting to happen’: Courthouse security incidents, trial delays have soared under Sheriff Rochelle Bilal is succinctly on message to the ongoing attacks this publication has rendered since this office decided to stop advertising Sheriff Sales (tax and mortgage) in their publication. Instead, the Office has redirected funds to advertise in more publications, including local, community, and neighborhood papers, making notices of sale more accessible, while simultaneously cutting overall advertising costs.

A few examples of how fearmongering works in social discourse:

For those who read the article, there are a few things this office would like to make clear for the record. During our recruitment of sheriff deputies, hundreds apply. There are unique challenges before we can fully onboard qualified deputy sheriffs:

1. Hiring for our Office is only open for 2-3 weeks during the year. Once the application closes, people can no longer apply until the next hiring window. Hiring should be on a rolling basis.

2. Once hired, deputy recruits must attend a four-and-a-half month training at Penn State campus, in which they must stay overnight. This limits our applicant pool and diverts a large population of applicants (such as single parents).

3. The hiring process takes 2-3 years to complete.

4. We pull from the same pool of applicants as PPD, State Police, Fire Department, Correction Officers, Temple Police, etc.

Considering these challenges, we are in the process of making it a more seamless process which will be announced.

We are not all journalists in this office, but we did conduct some due diligence as it relates to writing this statement. Meaning, that we ask those who were willing to give us a counter quote by which they need no anonymity. Their full statements are below:

Roosevelt Poplar, president of the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5: “To clarify my earlier remarks reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer, there is a nationwide shortage amongst all law enforcement agencies. The Philadelphia Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, and Corrections Office are all experiencing major shortages, and have been for some time now. Coupled with that, deputy sheriffs in Philadelphia County have the lowest starting salaries for new recruits in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is disingenuous to place the weight of the challenges that all law enforcement agencies face on Sheriff Rochelle Bilal.”

District Attorney Larry Krasner: “The Philadelphia DAO supports Criminal Justice agencies, such as the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office, to have all the necessary resources and funding for staffing and operations to adequately serve families, survivors and witnesses impacted by crime.

Philadelphia Sheriff shortages at court have been an issue at times since the 1990s. Sheriff shortages like Correction Officer shortages, like Philadelphia Police Department shortages, like Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office shortages cannot be solely blamed on the Sheriff, Police Commissioner, Prison Commissioner, or District Attorney.

All of our agencies have been working collaboratively with each other, along with City Council and the Mayor’s Team to prioritize public safety and reform in a sensible, balanced, and modern way.

The Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office has served as a reform-oriented partner with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office in several ways to include: Quarterly Press Conferences seeking the community’s support with locating Philly’s most wanted homicide fugitives as well as community outreach events, bringing necessary resources to families, crime survivors and neighborhoods most vulnerable to poverty and violence.”

In addition, elected officials who desire to learn more about the operations of the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office can visit our website or schedule a tour. Other Individuals like PA Representative Jared Solomon, who only read sources that clearly state a personal and political agenda, our position is still, “God Speed”.

In closing, we urge the readership and community to consider the facts and remain vigilant against efforts that seek to exploit fear for personal or political gain. Our commitment to transparency, public service, and justice remains unwavering, and we will continue to uphold our duties with integrity, despite these ongoing attacks under the strong leadership of Sheriff Rochelle Bilal.

Written by The Office of the Sheriff, City, and County of Philadelphia

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